Despite Adobe's commitment to incorporate UB updates as part of its 18-to 24-month product cycle, the company will be lucky to release Intel-native versions of its software by spring 2007, sources say.Although Adobe Systems has touted its "consistent track record" of releasing "significant updates" to its products every 18 to 24 months, sources have indicated to Publish that Intel-native versions of the company's professional graphics applications might not see the light of day until the spring of 2007.
Recently, Adobe released a public FAQ presenting in general terms its progress and plans for UB (Universal Binary) versions of its professional graphics applications that will run natively on Apple Computer's new and future Intel-based Macs.
The statement said that the company will not produce UB versions of its products, including Creative Suite and the once-Macromedia Studio suites, until the "next generation" of products. Creative Suite 2 was released in April 2005.
Currently, all Mac OS X software created for Power PC-based Macs—that is, all Macs aside from the new iMac and MacBook Pro—has to run through Apple's Rosetta code translation environment. This can result in performance penalties, which can be unacceptable in a professional environment.
Adobe recommended configuring all Intel-based Macs with at least 1GB of RAM to minimize this degradation. Adobe's FAQ pointed to one known incompatibility: Currently, the Version Cue Workspace Server does not run under Rosetta.
Adobe's FAQ said that holding off Intel compatibility until its next major release cycle was the "most effective" way to incorporate this major change. This, said Adobe, allows the company to dovetail testing of Intel-specific incompatibilities with those that arise from new features.
However, it's not just testing that remains to be done. Adobe's products were not built with Apple's Xcode development environment; migration of the entire product line's code base to Xcode can be as mammoth an undertaking as the balance of the port, said one source.
Sources said that Adobe's production schedule for the UB version of its Creative Suite was to have seen a UB Creative Suite 3 released by the end of 2006. However, Adobe's acquisition of rival Macromedia, and the resultant scramble to incorporate Macromedia's products, proved to be too much at once, pushing back the anticipated release date.
Casual users are largely covered, when it comes to the new Intel-based Macs. Apple's own e-mail and browser applications are already Intel-native, as are the iLife '06 and iWork '06 suites. In addition, the existing (that is, Power PC-native) Microsoft Office suite reportedly runs acceptably under Rosetta.
However, even minor performance hits can greatly affect professional graphics production professionals. As a result, Adobe recommends in its FAQs that graphics professionals continue to use Power PC-based Macs until UB versions of the applications are available.
Apple has recently discounted Power PC-based iMac models, as these have been supplanted by Intel-based ones, though the company still markets Power PC-based Power Mac G5 desktops and PowerBooks. However, Apple has said it will migrate its entire product line to Intel within the year.
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